JACKSON CITIZENS FILE FOR COLLECTOR, SCHOOL BOARD, AND ALDERMEN

JACKSON -- Jackson Ward 2 Alderman Phil Johnston says he is running for Jackson city collector because he wants to become more involved in daily city operations.

Johnston, who is completing the first year of a second, two-year term on the board, filed Friday for the office now held by Deloris "Dee" Uren. Uren announced Monday she will not seek re-election.

In other races, a second candidate has filed for one of the two, three-year terms on the Jackson Board of Education and school board member Larry Koenig is going to run for a third, three-year term.

Ward 4 Alderman Jack Piepenbrok announced Tuesday he will seek another term on the Board of Aldermen.

Alan Crites, 41, of 302 Cathy Drive, is seeking one of the school board seats now held by Koenig and Jack Knowlan Jr. Both have filed for another three-year term.

Johnston said he debated for two or three months whether to seek the post.

"I discussed it with my wife, and last Thursday I just decided to do it," he said. "I have been wanting to get more involved in city affairs on a day-to-day level than I am now."

Johnston first was elected to the Board of Aldermen in 1988. He is employed at Lee-Rowan Co.

A graduate of Jackson High School, Johnston is a member of the Jackson Jaycees and Elks Lodge. He and his wife, Paula, have two daughters: Dana, 12, and DeAnna, 5. They live at 350 Cathy Drive.

Crites, a lifelong resident of Jackson, graduated from Jackson High School in 1967 and served in the Air Force from 1969 to 1972.

After his discharge, Crites attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he graduated in 1977 with business management and computer science degrees. He works as a sales representative for Kasten Masonry Co. of Jackson.

Crites said he decided to run for the school board because Jackson enjoys a reputation of having a high-quality school district.

"I want to make sure this type of quality continues," he said. "The district will be facing some very important challenges in the near future, such as funding. I would like to be able to offer my expertise and experience."

Crites and his wife, Dixie, have three daughters attending Jackson schools: Courtney, 13, Kaitlin, 10, and Kacie, 7.

Crites and his family are members of the New McKendree United Methodist Church, where he serves in a number of lay positions. He also is a past member of the Jackson Optimist Club and Jackson Jaycees.

Piepenbrok is seeking his third term on the Board of Aldermen.

"There are a lot of things going on in Jackson right now and I want to continue to work on everything we've started," Piepenbrok said. "I feel that Jackson, and the whole Southeast Missouri area, for that matter, is on the front end of a protracted growth curve and all we all need to be ready for it.

"At this point Jackson is really a great place to live, work, and shop, and we want to keep it that way. I'm very proud of the way the city has been managed historically and I am excited about being a part of that now."

Piepenbrok said at times working on the board has been frustrating and seemingly thankless. "But I feel like I'm paying my dues for the privilege of enjoying everything Jackson has to offer. I just want to do my part to preserve this for future generations."

Piepenbrok, 48, is executive director of the Southeast Missouri Area Labor-Management Cooperation Committee. He holds a degree in business from Southeast Missouri State.

Piepenbrok and his wife, Beverly, live at 218 North Georgia. They have one son, Andy, who is a student at Murray State University; and a daughter, Jessica, a student at Jackson High School.

Piepenbrok is a member of the New McKendree United Methodist Church and a number of civic and fraternal organizations.

Koenig, 41, is completing his sixth year on the school board. He said a lot of good things have happened over the past years in the Jackson R-2 School District and he wants to make sure the trend continues.

Koenig also said the district will face some tough financial decisions this year because of continuing decreased state aid for public education.

"Over the past few years, a lot of school districts have received negligible increases in state foundation money, causing them to drop into fund balances and rely more on local tax receipts to maintain the programs they already have in place," Koenig said. "Certainly, our district, as well as other nearby school districts will have to possibly exercise some belt-tightening as far as programs are concerned."

Koenig, who was elected president of the school board in April 1990, pointed out the administration and the board have exercised sound judgment on school finances and that he will continue that practice.

Koenig lives with his wife, Tamara, and son, Andrew, 1, at 926 West Main. He is a 1967 graduate of Jackson High School and graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1971 with a degree in business administration.

Koenig also served two terms on the Board of Aldermen prior to his appointment to the Jackson Police Department 14 years ago. He was appointed police chief Jan. 1.

No candidate has filed for the one-year unexpired term of school board member Nancy Schafer, who resigned Jan. 8 to move to St. Louis.

Candidates for city offices may file with the Jackson city clerk. School board candidates should file at the Jackson superintendent's office. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 29.